EchoStar dips on Murdoch talks

Shares in direct-broadcast satellite service EchoStar Communications Corp. fell 4 percent on news
that the company approached Liberty Media Corp. and News Corp. about acquiring it.

Rather than rising on the news in The Wall Street Journal, as most
stocks surrounded by sudden takeover buzz do, EchoStar shares fell from $26.51
to $24.50.

That seems largely because the discussions were characterized as in a very
early stage.

Everyone knows how bitterly EchoStar chairman Charlie Ergen clashed with News
Corp.'s Rupert Murdoch when they last tried to merge and again when Murdoch
lobbied successfully to block Ergen's takeover of DirecTV Inc.